Rewinding mechanism.



H. MEYER.

REWINDING MECHANISM.

APPLoATIoN FILED SEPT. ze, 1909.

Patented June 1, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

e H S mj m n NM N w m NH n UNTED STATES PATENT HERMANN MEYER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

REWINLNG- NIE CEA NIST/.

Application filed September 2G, 1908.

Specification or" Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, HERE. ANN MEYER, a citizen of the United Sta-tes, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of the Bronx, in the countj)T and State of New York, have invented a neuY and improved lien/'inding Mechanism, of `which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to piano players, self-playing pianos and lil-ie instruments, and its object is to provide a new and improved re'ivinding mechanism controlled from the time lever, and arranged to rewind the note sheet without stopping the motor, and to automaticallj,T apply a friction bra-lie as soon as the note sheet is rewound, to hold the note sheet under tension during the ne); i following Winding up and while passing over the tracker board for actuating the instrument.

rlhe invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, which will bemorefullv described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the vievfs.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improvement as applied and with the parts in winding-up position; Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross section of the same on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section of the same and showing the parts in position when rewinding the note sheet; Fig. 4 is a front view of the support for the pneumatic; Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional plan vieuv of the improvement on the line k of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is an enlarged front elevation of the time lever for controlling the reivinding pneumatic, part being shown in section. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the valve.

The note sheet A unwinds from the un- Winding and rexvinding roll B, passes over the tracker board C and Winds up on the winding-up roller D. lThe shaft D of the winding-up roller D is provided with a gear wheel E adapted to be engaged by a pinion F secured on a shaft G, driven in the usual manner from the motor H, the shaft G being journaled at one end in a bearing l fixed to the support J of the frame of the instrument, l

and the other end of the said shaft G is journaled in a bearing l secured to the movable member ii of a pneumatic K held on the support J. lvlhen the pneumatic 'li is inflated, the pinion F is in mesh `with the gear Wheel E (see Fig. 2), and when the pneumatic li is deflated, as shown in Fig. 8, then the pinion F is out of mesh 'with the gear Wheel as the movable member l is now colk lapsed and has swung the pinion F out of mesh 'with the gear wheel E. ",l'v'vhen the pneumatic E is re-inflated, the pinion F is moved bach into mesh With the gear wheel E.

On the shaft G adjacent to the pinion F is secured a friction Wheel L in mesh with an intermediate friction wheel N, journaled on a swing arm G, fulcrumed at Q on the frame J of the reivinding mechanism, and the intermediate friction `vheel N is adapted to move in contact with a fri .in wheel P held on the shaft D of the rinvimling roll hen the pneumatic l is inflated and the pinion F is in mesh Ywith the gear ivhee E, as previously explained, then the shaft G is in a lowermost pos'tion, and consequentl/v the intermediate friction Wheel N is out of fricticnal Contact with the f1 ion wheel P, and when the shaft G is new driven from the motor H then the roll D is turned, to Wind up the note sheet A, the power being transmitted from the shaft G to the shaft D )y the pinion F and the gear Wheel E. Vfhen the pneumatic F; is deflated, as shown in Fig. 3, and the pinion F moves out of mesh with the gear wheel E, then the shaft G is moved to its uppermost position, and in doing so the friction Wheel L lifts the intermediatefriction Wheel N, so that the latter moves in frictional contact with the friction Wheel F, and the rotation of the shaft G is new trai'ismitted b v the friction Wheels L, N and P to the shaft B, to rotate the roll B, with a View to rewind the note sheet A on the roll B and to unwind the same from the roll B. It is understood that bv the use of the intermediate friction wheel N the roll B is rotated in the proper direction for the rewinding purpose.

in order to held the note sheet A under tension while being unwound from the roll B and Wound up on the roll D, the following arrangement is made: Gn the shaft B of the rewinding roll B is secured a brake wheel Q adapted to be engaged by a brake member Q held on the outer surface of the movable member K of the pneumatic K, so that when the pneumatic K is inflated, as shown in Fig. 2, the brake member Q is in braking contact with the brake wheel Q, thus braking the roll B and thereby giving tension to the note sheet A, as the latter passes over the tracker board C and is wound up by the roll D. When the note sheet A is rewound, as previously explained, and the pneumatic K is deflated, then the brake member Q moves out of contact with the brake wheel Q, to allow untrammeled rotation of the rewinding roll B for rewinding purposes, as above eX- plained.

The pneumatic K is controlled by the performer manipulating the time lever R, which for this purpose is provided with an arm R adapted to engage a lateral projection S on a spring valve S controlling an air admission port T, connected by a eXible tube T with an air chamber K2 formed in the fixed member K3 of the pneumatic K. A diaphragm U separates the air chamber K2 from a suction chamber V connected by a channel W with the main suction chamber of the instrument, and a valve K connected with the diaphragm U is adapted to connect the suction chamber Vwith a port K4 opening into the pneumatic K, so as to deflate the same, the valve also controlling a connection between the port K4 and the atmosphere, to allow the pneumatic K to open or inflate by the action of its spring whenever the port Kt is connected with the atmosphere. Normally the spring valve S closes the port T, when the pneumatic K is inflated as shown in Fig. 2, the suction chamber V then being disconnected from the port K4 and the latter being open to the atmosphere. When it is desired to rewind the note sheet A, the operator swings the lever R to the right, past the time graduation, and into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, so that the arm R opens the valve S and allows air to pass through the port T and the tube T into the air chamber K2, whereby the diaphragm U is forced outward and the valve X is moved to the position shown in Fig. 3, that is, the port K4 is closed to the atmosphere and is connected with the suction chamber V, whereby the air is drawn out of the pneumatic K and the latter collapses. The performer holds the lever R in the position referred to until the note sheet A is completely rewound, and then the performer swings the lever R back, to disconnect the arm R from the projection S to allow the valve S to close by its own resiliency. When this takes place the atmospheric air is cut off from the air chamber K2, and the diaphragm U returns to normal position, thus shifting the valve K, to disconnect the suction chamber V from the port K4 and to connect the latter with the atmosphere, to

allow re-inilation of the pneumatic K, as previously explained.

From the foregoing it will be seen that by the arrangement described the rewinding mechanism is controlled by the time lever R, to rewind the note sheet without stopping the motor H, and when the note sheet is rewound and the lever R is moved back to its legitimate position, the brake mechanism is applied to automatically brake the rewinding roll B, and consequently give the desired tension to the note sheet A while passing over the tracker board C during the use of' the instrument for playing purposes.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. A rewinding mechanism for piano players, self-playing pianos and the like, provided with a pneumatic carrying on its movable member driven wheels, one for engagement with the driving means of the winding-up roll and one for engagement with the driving means of the rewinding roll, and a brake mechanism having a brake member on the rewinding roll, and a brake member on the said movable member of the said pneumatic.

2. A rewinding mechanism for piano players, self-playing pianos an d the like, provided with a pneumatic under the control of the performer, and driven means mounted on and moving with the movable member of the said pneumatic for alternately driving the winding-up roll and the rewinding roll on inflating or collapsing the said pneumatic, the said movable member braking the rewinding roll when the pneumatic is inflated.

3. A rewinding mechanism for piano players, self-playing pianos and the like, comprising a pneumatic under the control of the performer, a driven shaft journaled on the movable member of the said pneumatic, a wheel on the said shaft, a drive wheel on the rewinding roll, and an intermediate wheel between the said shaft and the said rewinding roll wheel, and moved inengagement with the latter by the shaft wheel on collapsing the said pneumatic.

4. 1n a piano-player, self-playing piano or like instrument, the combination with the speed governing mechanism and the note sheet winding up and re-winding mechanism, of a pneumatic, means in connection with the pneumatic for controlling the note sheet winding up and re-winding mechanism, an air admission valve in connection with the pneumatic, and a common lever for operating the speed governing mechanism and the valve.

5. 1n a piano-player, self-playing piano or like instrument, the combination with the speed governing mechanism and the note sheet winding up and re-winding mechanism, of a pneumatic, means in connection with the In testimony when-01l I have signed my t naine tc this specii'ication in the presence 01' i two subscribing witnesses.

HERMANN MEYER. TWitnesses THEO. G. Hos'inn, EVERARD B. MARSHALL.

thc movingl of the said lever beyond a, -piedeteinnncd point will operate the valve. 

